A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted to be implanted in a vessel, duct or tract of a human body to maintain an open lumen. The stent includes a base layer of a biologically compatible metal. An intermediate metal particle layer of substantial greater radiopacity overlies the base

A stent is adapted to be implanted in a duct of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the implant site, and to allow viewing body tissue and fluids by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) energy applied external to the body. The stent constitutes a metal scaffold. An electrical circuit

A method and a device are disclosed for evaluating the cardio-circulatory and pulmonary condition of a patient, including determining the patient's thoracic impedance based on information solely derived from the electrical energy generated by the patient's own heart.

A stent is adapted to be implanted in a duct of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the implant site, and to allow viewing body tissue and fluids by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) energy applied external to the body. The stent constitutes a metal scaffold. An electrical circuit

A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted to be implanted in a vessel, duct or tract of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the site of the implant. The sidewall of the open-ended tubular structure of the stent is a base layer of a metal biologically compatible with blood and

An expandable tubular endoluminal prosthesis for maintaining the patency of a bodily vessel has a plurality of axially spaced serpentine bands. Each serpentine band has a proximal and distal end and a plurality of interconnected struts. Serpentine bands which are adjacent one another

In a process of fabricating a stent composed primarily of niobium alloyed with a trace amount of zirconium, tantalum, or titanium for hardening, the stent is annealed under vacuum in a substantially oxygen-free environment. The vacuum is preferably maintained at pressure less than 10

A method for repairing tissue of a selected organ from among heart, brain, liver, pancreas, kidney, glands, and muscles in a patient's body. Adult stem cells that have the capability to repair tissue of the selected organ are recovered by harvesting from the patient's body. The harvested

A stent is adapted to be implanted in a duct of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the implant site, and to allow viewing body tissue and fluids by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) energy applied external to the body. The stent constitutes a metal scaffold. An electrical circuit

A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted for deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen. The stent constitutes a scaffold formed from a single open-ended tube having a multiplicity of through-holes in its wall. The through-holes are defined by a plurality

In a process of fabricating a stent composed primarily of niobium alloyed with a trace amount of zirconium, tantalum, or titanium for hardening, the stent is annealed under vacuum in a substantially oxygen-free environment. The vacuum is preferably maintained at pressure less than 10

A device-implemented method is disclosed for early detection and monitoring of congestive heart failure in a patient. Ongoing measurements of impedance of a portion of the patient's body generally occupied by the lungs are performed by an implanted device, and, when the impedance mea

A stent is adapted to be implanted in a duct of a human body to maintain an open lumen at the implant site, and to allow viewing body tissue and fluids by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) energy applied external to the body. The stent constitutes a metal scaffold. An electrical circuit

A catheter having a distal end for insertion into a lumen of a patient's body includes a deployable semi-permeable membrane for trapping debris dislodged by a stent while allowing perfusion of body fluid through the membrane, mounted distally on said catheter; a stent mounted proximally

A stent is composed of a single homogeneous tubing of niobium with a trace of additional metal less than about 5%, preferably zirconium, for alloy formation and reinforcement. The stent surface is provided with at least a partial coating to inhibit closure of a central lumen at a site of

An implantable medical interventional device is disclosed for treating any of multiple cardiac dysrhythmias that may be suffered by a patient in whom the device is to be implanted, by automatic selection of an appropriate therapeutic regimen from among a plurality of such regimens the de

A vascular or endoluminal stent has low surface friction for ease of navigating a vessel, duct or tract of a patient. The stent is configured as a tubular element of biocompatible material having a longitudinal axis, open ends and a multiplicity of openings of generally common shape and

A stent has a tubular metal base adapted to be expanded from a first vessel-navigable diameter to a larger second vessel-deployed diameter; a thin, continuous intermediate layer of noble metal or alloy thereof selected from a group consisting of niobium, zirconium, titanium and tanta

Device and method are disclosed in which leads with pacing and defibrillating electrodes are implanted into both the right and left ventricles of a patient's heart to enable simultaneous pacing of both ventricles to reduce the width of the QRS complex of the patient's cardiac activit

A medical interventional device is structured for implantation in a human patient, to respond to detection of cardiac activity of the patient indicative of cardiac dysrhythmias. The device includes a cardiac therapy system responsive to a detected arrhythmia in either the atrial or v

A stent of high longitudinal flexibility includes multiple ring elements coupled together to be articulating without fixed physical attachment therebetween when the stent is in an unexpanded state, and to uncouple automatically while maintaining their positional relationship when the

A method of forming an iridium oxide coating on a metal stent to achieve a firmattachment of a thin biocompatible coating of the iridium oxide such that the iridium oxide resists being dislodged from the stent upon expansion thereof in a vessel of the human body during implantation of th

A stent delivery system is sized to allow it to traverse small-sized vessels of diameter in a range from about 1.25 mm to less than about 2.5 mm in a human body. The delivery system includes a balloon which has an inflated diameter less than 2.5 mm at nominal pressure and is integrated

A method for external treatment of dysrhythmias including fibrillation of a patient's heart utilizes an externally located control box which generates electrical waveforms including shocks of variable energy content sufficient for terminating the dysrhythmias. A lead having transvenous

A vascular or endoluminal stent adapted for deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein is formed from a metal open-ended tube which is the single component of the stent. The tube has a multiplicity of holes cut by laser through its wall. The through-ho

A non-radioactive metallic stent is coated with a biodegradable thin coating of less than about 100 microns in thickness selected to avoid provoking any foreign body reaction. The biodegradable material in the coating disintegrates over time in the presence of body fluid. The coating

An implantable medical interventional device is adapted to provide therapy to a patient in whom the device is implanted to treat cardiac dysrhythmias including tachyarrhythmia. The device performs a plurality of functions corresponding to different levels of therapy for treatment of sens

A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted for deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein. The stent includes a biocompatible metal hollow tube constituting a base layer having a multiplicity of openings through an open-ended tubular wall thereof, the

An implantable medical interventional device responds to detection of any of a plurality of cardiac dysrhythmias in a human patient by performing an appropriate therapy which may include cardiac pacing, cardioversion or defibrillation according to the nature of the detected dysrhythmia.

An interventional medical device has a capability to sense cardiac dysrhythmias and to selectively respond with one among a hierarchy of therapies appropriate to terminate the sensed dysrhythmia and return the heart of the patient in whom the device is adapted to be implanted to norm

A medical interventional device is structured for implantation in a human patient, to respond to detection of cardiac activity of the patient indicative of cardiac dysrhythmias. The device includes a cardiac therapy system responsive to a detected arrhythmia in either the atrial or v

An implantable cardiac pacemaker is adapted to be selectively non-invasively upgraded from time to time after implantation to provide a plurality of different diagnostic, functional, and pacing operational modes in the form of respective combinations of single and dual chamber sensin

A method of preventing or reducing the incidence of staphylococci and other infections as a result of surgical or medical treatment procedures is implemented by inserting into or attaching to each sterile package containing a tool, implement, or implantable for use in such a procedure

A stent delivery system includes a catheter having a balloon mounted at its distal end for advancement into and withdrawal from a patient's vascular system by manipulation of the catheter from a point external to the patient's body, a lumen extending through the catheter into the balloon

A vascular stent adapted to be implanted in a blood vessel of a human patient to enhance the flow of blood therethrough, includes an elongate biocompatible metal member of cylindrical shape and tubular sidewall with a pattern of multiple openings therethrough and open ends. The stent has

A defibrillator is designed for implantation in a patient and for programming certain of its parameters after implantation, including energy content of a shock waveform and timing of delivery of the shock waveform. A shock waveform generator of the device is responsive to a trigger signa

Apparatus is disclosed for temporary treatment of atrial fibrillation of a patient's heart for limited periods of time. An external control unit generates electrical shock impulses; and is electrically connected to spaced-apart defibrillation electrodes of a flexible catheter adapted for

A method of implanting small diameter conductive leads for an artificial cardiac pacemaker or other body-implantable medical device includes inserting the lead to be implanted into a predetermined path within the patient's body with the assistance of a stylet for guiding the lead along

A method of preventing or reducing the incidence of staphylococci and other infections as a result of surgical or medical treatment procedures is implemented by inserting into or attaching to each sterile package containing a tool, implement, or implantable for use in such a procedure

A stent is adapted for deployment at a preselected site in a duct within the body of a patient to inhibit the lumen of the duct at that site from narrowing to a point that resists passage through the lumen. The stent is a generally cylindrical open-ended element having a perforated s

A vascular or endoluminal stent adapted for deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein is formed from a metal open-ended tube which is the single component of the stent. The tube has a multiplicity of holes cut by laser through its wall. The through-ho

A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted for deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein. The stent includes a biocompatible metal hollow tube having a multiplicity of openings through an open-ended tubular wall thereof, the tube constituting a single

An interventional medical device has a capability to sense cardiac dysrhythmias and to selectively respond with one among a hierarchy of therapies appropriate to terminate the sensed dysrhythmia and return the heart of the patient in whom the device is adapted to be implanted to norm

A method is disclosed for coating a biomaterial to be placed in contact with a patient's blood flow to inhibit blood coagulation from adhering to the biomaterial that would otherwise result from such contact. A biodegradable material of liquid state compatible with the blood and tiss

An implantable cardioverter/defibrillator device is implemented to be selectively non-invasively upgraded from time to time after implantation to enable the device to provide additional therapy for arrhythmia treatment as the patient's need for such treatment undergoes change. The de

A method for removing a thrombus or plaque deposit from the wall of a blood vessel of a patient is enhanced by synergistic action of two individual procedures. A catheter is introduced into a blood vessel from which a thrombus or plaque deposit is to be removed. The first procedure is

Atrial fibrillation disorders are treated by locating low impedance electrodes positioned on a single catheter body passing through the pulmonary artery valve to locate the electrodes respectively in the right atrium and the pulmonary artery. Thus an electrical energy impulse of the

A variable rate cardiac pacemaker is adapted to be implanted in a human patient for automatically adapting pacing rate to metabolic need of the patient when the patient is walking in an ascending path, a descending path, or on a level plane. An accelerometer senses the activity of the

A programmable dual-chamber artificial cardiac pacemaker senses atrial activity and normally tracks the sensed atrial activity in pacing the ventricular activity. An accelerometer located in the case of the pulse generator portion senses physical exercise by a patient when the pacemaker